Ashes to Ashes
by Evanescence Wannabe
Summary: This story is moving to my new pen name soon...it will be rewritten so don't bother reading it now. 8P
1. Drawn Away

**Chapter 1;**

**Drawn Away**

**A/N: This was just going to be a one shot, but it's turning out longer than I anticipated.**

**Read my other stories; _Seclusion's Cycle_ and _Keeper of the Sun_ when you're done with this.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!**

Katara knew Zuko was here somewhere. She'd been looking for hours. When she'd woken up that morning, there had been smoke on the horizon. Just a few minutes later, she'd heard Zuko shouting at his uncle. He'd never been very self-controlling.

She'd gotten up and left a note for the rest of the gang, and now, about fourteen hours later, she was still looking. Katara didn't really know why she was looking; why should she care where Zuko was? All she needed to do was go back and tell the others, and they could leave, but she couldn't stop herself. She had to find him.

She was running out of time; she could feel it. Suddenly, she heard something crack behind her. Someone was following her. She spun around, scanning her surroundings frantically. Something darted behind a tree just as her eyes focused in on the origin of the sound.

She started walking in the direction of the noise. Being as quiet as she could, she followed the faint sounds of leaves crunching underfoot. Katara didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but she was determined to find whoever she was following.

The sun was setting fast, and Katara needed to start heading back if she wanted to be in camp before everyone was asleep. Still, she couldn't bring herself to stop. She had to know who had been watching her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko had to get away from her. Why was she chasing him? Did she really think that he didn't know she was there? He wasn't sure if she was trying to be quiet or not. If she was, it wasn't working.

He decided that the best way to get rid of her was to lead her on until it was dark, then sneak off while she was trying to figure out where she was. He almost felt bad leaving her alone in the woods at night, but not quite.

It occurred to Zuko that he didn't know the girl's name. This would be a bad time to ask, but he really wanted to know. He stopped. The girl ran into his back and fell over, dazed. "What's your name?" he demanded. She stared up at him, confused. "I SAID, WHAT'S YOUR NAME?" she sat up.

"Why do you care?" she shot him an evil look, but he didn't notice.

"**FOR THE LAST TIME, WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!?!?!**" Zuko's fists began to smoke. He was getting impatient, and Katara didn't want to be alone with him when he was mad.

"Katara," she muttered.

"What?" Katara was getting annoyed too, but she repeated her name anyway.

"KATARA."

"Oh, all right. Finally," and with that Zuko ran off into the woods, leaving Katara still sitting on the forest floor. Katara shot up and started chasing Zuko. He wouldn't get away that easily.

"Wait! Where are you going?" she called after him, not expecting him to answer. Zuko stopped and turned around.

"Away from you. Why do you want to know?" he glared at Katara, but his eyes looked mischievous and curious.

"Just wondering," she replied, "Hey, aren't you going to ask me about Aang or try to find our camp?" she hinted.

"No," Zuko wasn't about to tell her that he already knew where they were camped.

"What?! Why not? Isn't that what you're here for?" Katara was astonished.

"No," he started walking away again.

"Stop! What else could you possibly be doing out here in the middle of nowhere, coincidentally near our campsite? It's not like you have a life of your own. Did your uncle tell you to come here?" Katara grabbed his arm so he wouldn't run off again.

"No," he shook off her weak grip, "What makes you so sure I don't have a life?"

"Well, all you ever do is chase us. That shows a lack in social involvement, if you ask me."

"Sure…" suddenly he jumped over the edge of the creek bank. Katara watched, shocked. It was a twenty-foot drop from the top of the creek bank to the water itself, and because it was the middle of fall, there wasn't much water in the creek bed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"ZUKO!!!" she screamed as he vanished into the thick underbrush. "Are you alright?" There was no reply. "ZUKO!!!" Katara screamed urgently. She didn't know why she was so upset, but she was, and it couldn't be helped now.

She started crawling down the steep wall of mud into the creek bed. It was dark out now, and she was a little nervous trapped in the bottom of the creek with one of her worst enemies. She took a few steps ahead of her, and then turned around swiftly. Nothing was there, so she continued. Every now and then she turned around, expecting to see Zuko standing behind her, but he never was.

She continued this pattern of fear and intrigue for a few minutes before it occurred to her that he might not have even gone this direction. She turned around and headed back. It was getting late, and she wasn't about to spend the night in an unfamiliar creek with Zuko.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko watched Katara climb back up the cliff-like embankment. As soon as she was gone, he stepped out of his hiding place. _That was close,_ he thought to himself. He knew she wasn't much of threat, but he still felt better now that she was gone. He climbed up the other side of the bank and headed back to his camp.


	2. Questions

**Chapter 2;**

**Questions**

**A/N: I'm working up to the dramatic part, but I've got a ton to do. Sorry it took so long to update!**

Zuko stared up at the dimly lit sky. They all seemed to be mocking him. The moon was only a dull orb hung just above the horizon; just far away enough that he couldn't reach it. He glanced behind him to make sure his uncle was asleep, then walked off into the misty woods.

Minutes later, Zuko stepped into a small clearing inches from the once powerful river that cut through the land. He stared into the shadow-filled mess of tangled trees that was ahead, silently scorning them for their lack of beauty. Everything else in the forest was graceful; every last leaf fell perfectly into place. All, that is, except for one twisted up, overgrown tree at the edge of the clearing.

A couple faded leaves still clung to the barren branches, and the dried out roots stuck up everywhere. Zuko almost felt sorry for the tree – he knew how it felt to stick out. An owl-frog crowed in the distance. Zuko sat up straight, instantly alert. Soon he calmed down. He took a few steps to the cliff looking over the empty riverbed and sat down on the edge.

Tears forced their way up to his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away. He was ashamed of himself. _Father never cries,_ he thought. Instantly he was angry with his father. Zuko knew his uncle wouldn't want to hear him complain, so he always seemed to let his emotions build up inside of him until he couldn't take any more. He threw a small stone down the edge of the embankment and watched it hit the earth with a soft thud.

_What did I ever do to deserve a life like this?_ He knew that even if he captured the Avatar, things wouldn't be normal. Still, he needed that reassurance. That hope was all he had to lean on, and if he lost it, all his work would have been in vain.

He needed a way to fix his life. He knew there had to be something he could do to bring back the innocent, carefree way of living he had grown so accustomed to. For the last three years, all he had thought about was how to get the Avatar; how to get home; how to regain his honor. Now, he had a new goal.

Zuko could only think of one way to guarantee that he wouldn't have to deal with all of his problems anymore. As the prince of the Fire Nation, he had been given an incredible education, though he hadn't really taken advantage of it. That only would've only helped him in the upper-class society, though. Now, he needed a way to learn about the real world, and he knew who to ask.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Katara sat bolt upright, her heart pounding and her face wet with tears. It was the middle of the night, so everyone else was asleep, or so she thought.

"Katara, is something wrong? For a minute there I thought you would jump straight up into the air."

"Wow! Toph! I had no idea you were still up!" Katara gasped for breath, trying to remember her dream.

"I wasn't up until you got up and started walking around," Toph seemed annoyed.

"I just woke up! I wasn't walking around," Katara's voice lowered, "Maybe we should be quieter so the boys can sleep."

"I guess. So, if you weren't prowling around the campsite, who was?" Toph's face lit up. She felt like doing something interested.

"I don't know…I'm going to look around."

"I'll go the other ay. That way we'll cover more ground," Toph jumped up.

"You know, you're usually so tired when you've just woken up. What's so different now?" Katara questioned.

"I'm not sure. Actually, I slept pretty well," Toph walked away as she said this. Katara shrugged and headed the opposite direction.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko paced back and forth. He needed a plan. Suddenly, Katara burst through the bushes into Zuko's clearing. He jumped up. _What do I have to do to keep her away from me?_ "ZUKO?!" Katara screamed. "What are yo-" Zuko put a hand firmly over her mouth.

"What do you want now? It's the middle of the night!" Katara bit his hand, but he wouldn't let go. He was behind her now, one hand on her mouth and one around her waist. She blushed, hoping he didn't notice she was shaking. Up went her foot; down went Zuko. However, to Katara's surprise, he never let go of her, so soon she was lying on top of him, still held tight.

She bit his hand again, harder this time. He let go and shoved her off of him. _Where do I need to go to get a restraining order around here?_ he wondered.

Katara jumped up, not sure if she should run, fight, or call for help – she decided to do all three. She slapped Zuko across the face, screamed for Toph, and started running.

Katara knew better than to run straight back to camp, so she ran in the opposite direction. Assuming Zuko was following her, she did everything she could to create obstacles behind her as she went. Finally, she collapsed on the ground, her heart pounding insanely and unable to take a breath. She looked up; everything was spinning. She decided that next time she went to investigate, she should stretch first.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Toph couldn't see a thing.  She had tripped on a tree root and fallen into some bushes. She could her Katara calling her; she needed to get up. Toph wrestled and wriggled and did everything she could to get untangled from those bushes. She wasn't even sure which direction she was facing, but she had to get to Katara.

Pain ripped through her ankle every time she moved it, but she didn't notice until she stopped flailing about. Katara had stopped shouting – was that a good or bad? Toph had no idea what to do. She opened her mouth and screamed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sky went from black to rosy pink. Sunlight floated over the forest like the wind, and almost every leaf that had been on a tree yesterday was now on the ground or in Sokka's mouth.

Sokka sat up slowly and pulled the dry leaves out of his mouth. He did his usual morning exercises, then sat down by the dew-covered firewood. He'd forgotten to put on more wood before he went to sleep last night, so now he had to find new, dry firewood.

Not noticing that Toph and Katara were gone, Sokka strolled through the sleepy forest, hardly looking for wood. He picked up a stick and threw it at a nearby squirrel-badger, barely missing. By the time he got back with the wood, the sun was up and Aang was awake. "Sokka," he began, "where are Katara and Toph?" Sokka looked around. Katara's sleeping bag was cool to the touch, and Toph's earth tent seemed especially frosted over.

"They must have gotten up before us and went off to wash their hair or something. Girls love to do that," Sokka shrugged off Aang's troubled stare.

"Not them, they never leave camp without telling us first, and Katara would have rekindled the fire so she could make breakfast," Aang was getting worried.

"Just check by the creek; maybe it's laundry day or something," suggested Sokka.

"Laundry day? I doubt it. I'm going to go look for them," Aang grabbed Momo and his glider and started his search, while Sokka played with the firewood. It was going to be a long day.


	3. The Fury of the Sky

**Chapter 3;**

**The Fury of the Sky**

**A/N: I couldn't think of another title, but it's good enough.**

**Please review; I know it's long, so I'm not going to make you read it all. Of course, I couldn't do that anyway…**

Aang flew over the quiet forest. The sky was getting stormy and the huge dark gray clouds hanging above him were beginning to make him worry. If it did start storming, he wouldn't be able to get back to camp in time. Appa, Momo, and Sokka were all without shelter. He was just asking to be torn down by a storm, flying so high above the treetops. Aang didn't know where Katara and Toph were, but he had a feeling they wouldn't be under shelter if a storm did hit.

Aang silently prayed to whoever was worth praying to that the storm would just pass over them and his friends would be safe. He wasn't sure how he would ever get out of the woods if he was caught in the middle of the downpour.

Just as he thought of this, it began to rain – hard. Aang knew he needed to stop searching for a while if he wanted to be able to look around after this, but he kept going. His thoughts drifted back to what had brought him here in the first place; weather like this was the reason he was alive today. As strange as it felt, he realized that without this deadly reminder, he wouldn't have any chance at surviving. So the first thing he did was get to the ground.

Now that Aang was safer from whatever was going on in the sky, he could focus a little more. The wind was bringing down once-sturdy boughs all around him, and he knew he had to get to cover. Suddenly, he froze. His knees were shaking, and everything seemed icy cold. It seemed like the world was going in slow motion. Then everything went black.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sokka stared up at the turbulent sky above him. He wondered where Aang was and if he was safe. Sokka had already taken Appa and Momo down to a small cave near the creek. There they would be warm and dry, although Appa did seem a little squished. He stood up and started walking towards the tangled trees where all of his friends had disappeared. Sokka was pretty sure Appa and Momo would be safe in the cave, but just to be sure he tied Appa up to a stalagmite.

Upon entering the dark maze of trees and other plants, Sokka heard muffled screaming. He walked slowly over toward the noise, but it was all around him. Sokka started getting nervous, and pulled out his boomerang. As he edged closer to the riverbed, the screaming got louder. Then, it hit him. It was the wind. The wind was ferociously howling through the woods; Sokka couldn't hear anything but the wind. He would have to rely on his sight, but the rain was coming down so thick that everything farther than two or three feet was just a blurry mist, like it wasn't even really there. This also made the young warrior apprehensive, but he shoved his uncertainty aside and pressed on.

Soon, the rain turned to hail, pounding on Sokka's half-shaved head. When it first started hailing, Sokka didn't really notice. Now, however, the hail came down thick and large. It was getting hard to keep going – he was tired and hungry and scared, but he knew he couldn't give up; his friends were depending on him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Toph woke up to hail thudding on the canopy of sticks and dead leaved above her. She was soaking wet, and she still didn't know where she was. Her head was throbbing, but she hadn't hurt her head. Then, it occurred to her that she was upside down. All of the blood was rushing into her head, making it hurt. She wriggled and squirmed until she felt the pressure drop, and for an instant she almost fainted.

Toph's ankle still hurt her, but now at least she knew she was on top of the bush, partly because she could feel it under her and partly because hail was falling directly onto her head. For once, she was glad she always piled her hair so thick on her head. It was great for earthbending, and it was also great for hail. Of course, hail was still hurting her head, but she imagined Aang and Sokka were having a worse time.

Toph was just about to jump down and hope she landed on the dirt, when she heard something crack above her. A huge bough fell in front of her, just missing her feet. Right after that, she noticed a new sound. Water was rushing all around her, rising by the minute. She felt it grazing the bottoms of her feet as she started to climb off of the bush. The riverbank was flooded, and she was trapped on a dead plant in the middle of it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Katara sat inside a large hollow tree. She watched her element cascading to the earth, flooding the ground before her. If she left her log, she ran the risk of drowning in the water. She didn't know how deep it was, and the tree she was sitting in had been right on the bank when she crawled in it to escape the hail. She didn't want to drown, but she also didn't want to be trapped in there. If she did stay in her makeshift shelter, she could get swept off the embankment and down the river. Either way seemed to lead to drowning.

Katara gazed out at the gray, swirling torrents of water, watching the occasional log drift by. It couldn't rain forever, but it could rain long enough to get her in more trouble than she was already in. She had no idea where she was, and even if it stopped raining now, it was too late to head back to the camp. She would have to stay here until morning at least, then who knew how long it would take her to find her way back. The only thing she could be sure of was that she had to go now; the water level had risen right up to the bottom of her refuge, so she knew that if she stayed, she'd end up drowning.

Katara crawled cautiously out of the tree and grabbed a root sticking out of the mud wall before her. She hadn't realized that the log she was in had already fallen into the riverbed. She looked around wildly for something to grab onto as the rotting wood slipped from under her and went rushing down the river. All that was keeping her from falling into the watery death trap was the tiny root she was holding on to, and even that wasn't much.

She planted her feet firmly into the muddy embankment, and tried to climb up. The mud was too slippery, and every time she tried to get higher, her feet slid down a little farther. Slowly and painfully, she was getting closer to the taunting grave beneath her and farther from salvation; the top of the creek bed. She was getting tired, and before she even had time to think, she let go of her only chance at survival and fell into the foaming sepulcher.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko sat placidly, water up to his knees. He wondered what his uncle was doing, or if he even noticed that his nephew had been gone all day. He slowly tossed twigs into the raging water, watching the roaring demon devour its new prey. He was amused by all of the things going on; plants being sucked into the abyss; tiny animals scouring the land for shelter from the storm; the wind tossing the mighty trees around playfully, like they were only tiny twigs being bent in the breeze.

He glanced up just in time to see something fall over him. Someone yelped, and Zuko grabbed whatever it was. Blood went running down his hand; something had cut him. He jumped up in surprise and pain, staring down at the attacker. Sokka sat on the ground, wondering what he had tripped on. His boomerang flashed in the light with Zuko's blood spattered on it. "What are you doing here?" Zuko growled.

Sokka stared up at Zuko, still confused. He hadn't noticed anyone sitting in front of him when he'd walked over. He glanced down at his boomerang, then up at Zuko's hand. "Your hand is bleeding," Sokka observed.

Zuko glared down at the naïve teen, wondering what had happened to the Water Tribe peasant to make him so stupid. "What are you doing here?" Zuko repeated loudly.

Sokka returned the question, "What are _you_ doing here?" He stumbled onto his feet. "What have you done with my sister?"

"What haven't I done?" Zuko said just to bother Sokka. Sokka looked appalled, just as Zuko knew he would. "I haven't seen her lately, but she has been following me."

"Why did you say that?" Sokka glared up at his enemy. He knew Zuko hadn't actually done anything to or with Katara, but it still made him suspicious.

"Never mind," Zuko grabbed Sokka by the 'wolf-tail' and pushed him down onto his knees. "Tell me where the Avatar is."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Appa groaned in discomfort. The cave he was trapped in was small and damp. He was stuck up against a wall, unable to move. Momo looked out the entrance of the cave, watching the water bubble and splash in a twisted, playful way. It tore at the stony walls of their haven, coaxing them to join it in its poignant game.

While Appa and Momo considered this, if that was even possible, the water level continued to rise steadily. Soon, they were standing in the foaming repertoire of hidden fears and forgotten memories. As water crept up the walls of the cave, the reality of the situation hit him. They were going to drown.

Appa thrashed about, but he didn't have much room to move. Momo climbed out onto the rope holding Appa in the cave. His strong jaws moved mechanically as he gnawed at the rope. He wasn't making much progress, and the water was flooding in by the second. Momo didn't have much time if he wanted to save his friend.

Two minutes later, the water was up to Appa's chin, and Momo was on the final threads of twine that had once been the strong rope. He leapt up in ecstasy as the last bits of thread fell to the water's surface. No sooner than that, Appa started wading through the water to the cave's entrance. Momo jumped on to Appa's back, and the two headed for freedom. Just as they left the shelter of the cave, the once-sturdy stones collapsed in on where Appa and Momo had been. _If only the Gaang could've seen that,_ Appa thought while Momo was thinking the same thing.

They headed back for camp, soaking wet but glad to be alive.

**Hey, you guys need to check up on this story every week or two. I don't update much, but when I do I update all three of my stories (usually) so it takes some time. Thanks to anyone who actually stuck with my story!**

**P.S.**

**I know Zuko was really out of character in this chapter, and I'll bet all of my characters always are. Bear with me; I'm working on it (kind of)! :-)**


	4. Decadence

**Chapter 4;**

**Decadence**

**A/N: For anyone who didn't know, (correct me if I'm wrong) decadence means to deteriorate and get worse. I got that definition from Word Perfect, so I'm not sure if it's right or not.**

**This chapter will start to get into the suicidal side of Zuko, after I've got everyone safe and sound back at camp. It's taken some time, but I'm finally getting to the point in this story. :-)**

As the day melted away, the majestic gray clouds began to disintegrate. Sokka had gotten away from Zuko long ago, and was now roaming the gloomy woods, searching for his friends. "Aang! Katara! Toph! Where are you guys?" he shouted. His voice echoed through the lonely air. It was cold now that the rain had stopped, and he was still soaking. After a while, he pulled off his shirt and wrung it out, then put it back on. He glanced down at the creek, which was roaring tremendously. Suddenly, he remembered Appa and Momo.

Sokka bolted through the gnarled up trees, heading for the cave where he'd left the two animals. By the time he got there, the sun was completely gone, and it was once again dark. It took some time for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but when he could see again, he wished he couldn't.

The rock walls of the cave had collapsed in on themselves, and the river water nearly covered the pile of rubble. He started shouting, hoping Aang's pets were still alive or had gotten away. He knew if anything had happened to them, Aang would never forgive him.

Sokka ran up to the debris, grabbing bits of stone and throwing them behind him. If Appa and Momo hadn't made it out, there was no way they'd survived. After five minutes of trying to clear the area, he sat down and covered his face with his hands. What would he tell Aang? Sokka got up and headed back to camp. A large muddy animal groaned contentedly as he walked into the clearing. Sokka looked up and was shocked; Appa and Momo were right in the middle of the camp. They were muddy, but they were safe.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aang shook all over as he slowly sat up. He had no idea what had just happened, or why he'd fainted. He looked around him; nothing was out of the ordinary. He didn't remember being hit or anything; of course he was having a hard time remembering anything that had happened during the storm. Aang stood up slowly, and after he was sure he was uninjured, he began to look around him. Every time he tried to remember what had happened, the whole night seemed hazy and unreal. He decided to go back to where Sokka, Appa, and Momo were; maybe they had found Katara and Toph.

As soon as Aang stepped into the clearing, Sokka ran to him and hugged him. Sokka started babbling about everything that had happened only hours before, but Aang wasn't really listening. He was tired, and as soon as Sokka shut up, he crawled over to Appa and fell asleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tears ran down her face. Toph wasn't crying because she was upset or scared; she was crying because she was tired and cold. Freezing water licked her legs as she hung on to the lifeless branches of the bush. The icy prison beneath her had finally stopped growing, but it wouldn't go down for quite a while. She wasn't sure how much more she could take before someone found her, and she wasn't even positive they would find her before she had to give up. Toph hated to give up, but she knew that it would be impossible for her to hang on forever, even if the water did start going down soon.

Her face was hot with her own tears, but the rest of her was cold. The wind was biting through her drenched clothes, and as it got later, it got colder. It wasn't even the middle of autumn yet, but it the temperature was low enough for it to be winter. Toph was usually not very sensitive to cold, but she'd been out in the rain and half-submerged in the icy water for at least an hour. She wasn't sure what it was like to be hypothermic, but she had a sickening feeling deep down that she would soon.

Suddenly, the branch she was holding on to snapped. She plummeted down into the water, and then started drifting rapidly down the river. She had no idea where she was, and without any earth under her, she couldn't see anything. There was no way she'd be able to help herself unless the water got shallower, but that wouldn't happen for at least another day.

Toph didn't know how far she'd be able to go without getting dashed against something or drowned. For the first time since she'd left her home, she regretted ever setting foot outside the safety of her front door. She instantly shook off the feeling; she didn't want to miss her parents.

Pretty soon, she began to panic. She wanted desperately to know where she was and where the rest of the Gaang was. Her mind went blank; all of the ideas that used to be over-powering her were now gone. She had no clue what to do, and she couldn't seem to focus. Toph hated to not have control over her own mind; she had felt that that was the one thing she could have power over. Now she knew she'd been wrong.

The rushing ice water tore through the countryside, bringing with it bits of dirt and dead plants. Every now and then, something would pass by her and hit her or cut her. She was getting tired of being beat up by plants, but there was nothing she could do about it. As she drifted swiftly upstream, she was starting to wonder what everyone would do when they found out she'd drowned to death. She could imagine it all now.

Sokka would be laughing and celebrating when no one else could see; Katara would try to comfort Aang, but she wouldn't care at all; Aang would be upset, but only because he had no one to teach him earthbending anymore. Toph had a feeling she wasn't well liked in the group, but this startling revelation was a little much for her. She realized that if she'd never left home, none of this would be happening.

Back at her house, she would just be getting to sleep in her soft, warm pajamas. She'd rest her head against the giant fluffy pillows on her head; never knowing there was something better out there. She'd always been more or less content, until she began learning earth bending. That's what had taught her that she was missing out on something; that she could have so much more. Honestly, it was her parents' fault she wasn't at home right then, not hers.

She considered this, and then changed her mind. That wasn't true. She knew she was the only one who could've decided whether she should stay or not. It was her decision, and these were the consequences. She'd have to live with that.

Toph stuck her hand out of the freezing water to see if there was anything around her to grab on to. As soon as her hand came in contact with the bank, someone grabbed it and tore her out of the water. "AANG! I found her!" Sokka's familiar voice cried triumphantly.

"Wha…Toph! What were you doing in the creek? Why didn't you shout or something?" Aang's gray eyes sparkled, but Toph couldn't see that. She was just glad to be home.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just as the sun was beginning to climb its way up to its throne in the sky, Katara's eyes slowly opened. She couldn't remember anything; she didn't know where she was. All of a sudden, the memories poured into her mind. She could picture everything; the storm, falling into the water…it was all there. She sat up abruptly and her head swam. She almost fell back over, but she steadied herself and cautiously stood up. She scanned her surroundings warily.

Then, out of a small tent, emerged a young man. He was carrying a huge bundle of firewood. After setting it down by the fire, he looked up, not the least bit surprised. "She's up," he shouted to no one Katara could see. "Hello," he bowed, "I'm Lo Tien. I live in these woods with my older brother, Geng Se. May I ask what your name is?" he seemed trustworthy enough, and Katara let her guard down a little.

"My name's Katara, and I'm traveling with…" she paused. She didn't want to give away Aang's position yet, "my brother and cousin. We got separated during the storm, and I guess they didn't find me."

Lo Tien smiled, "Well, it is an honor to meet such a lovely young lady out here. We don't get much company, and it gets pretty boring without anyone new to talk to." His polite, sophisticated air vanished as a huge grin covered his face. "Come meet my brother!"

He grabbed Katara's hand and dragged her into the tent. "Geng Se! Meet Katara, the girl you found in the creek." Katara blushed a little. Geng Se was in his pajamas, still in bed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Katara. Let me or my brother know if there's anything we can do for you," he was also polite, and neither boy seemed too suspicious. Lo Tien pulled Katara back out of the tent. In the sunlight, she could once again see everything clearly. Lo Tien was a lot taller than she was, and he was strong sturdy. However, his face was gentle and his large green eyes sparkled and danced.

"Can I ask you a question?" Katara said softly.

"Shoot!" Lo Tien wasn't nearly as put-together as his brother seemed to be. Katara liked his laid-back manner; he was polite, but not stuck up. That was hard to find.

"Why aren't you traveling with your parents? I don't mean to sound nosy, but you both seem a little young to be out on your own," Katara stared up as his green eyes clouded.

"We were living with our parents. The only reason we're out here now is because they went to live in the Fire Nation. Even though my parents are Earth Kingdom, my father decided to join the Fire Nation army to keep things peaceful, and my mother works mending armor and polishing boots and stuff. I don't know exactly why they want to betray the Earth Kingdom like that; my father used to be a high government official in the Earth Kingdom, but he and my mother moved to the Fire Nation, claiming it was the only peaceful thing left to do," he grinned again, "and we're both old enough to be on our own. Geng Se is twenty-four, and I'm sixteen. We got left here when I was about fourteen, and Geng Se was twenty-two. He took it pretty hard, but I really like living outside all the time."

Geng Se stepped out of the tent, fully clothed and carrying a big pot. "Geng Se likes to cook. I can't cook to save my life, so I leave that to him and I gather firewood. I have to do that now, actually. We're running low."

Katara eyed the enormous pile of wood about three feet from the fire, wondering what a lot of firewood looked like.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko sat, huddled in a blanket in his uncle's tent. The old man was trying to light the wet kindling on fire, but it wasn't really working. Zuko was mad. He knew the Avatar was in the woods with him. He had known up until yesterday the location of their exact campsite. Now, however, he was gone. Everything was falling apart, and there was nothing he could do to change it.

At one point he'd had a plan; it seemed foolproof to him, but now he had no idea what he was going to do. It was all confusing him, but he had to keep trying. His father had said…

Then, for the first time since he'd been banished, he was truly angry with the Fire Lord. All that time, he'd thought that Ozai had given him a chance because he wanted him back, but he wanted Zuko to know that he believed in him. Now, that all seemed ridiculous. Zuko realized that his father had sent him after the Avatar to keep him far away from home; the Avatar would never go anywhere near the Fire Nation.

Zuko was starting to hate his father. He'd been so sure that Ozai loved him and just wanted him to prove that he was worthy of that affection. Now he knew how stupid he was to think that. The Fire Lord didn't love anyone except Azula and himself. He had never wanted Zuko; he had Azula. Why should he have had to bother with a useless son if he had a firebending prodigy for a daughter?

Iroh got up and peeked into the tent. Smoke was clouding through the thin roof of the cloth shelter, which gave him the idea that Zuko was mad. Go figure.

"Prince Zuko, is something the matter?" Iroh tried to hide a smile.

"No, Uncle, nothing's wrong. Go back to your wood," Zuko glared at his uncle.

"If you're sure."

Iroh walked back out to the wet twigs just as a tiny flame went out. He sat down impatiently and nearly vaporized the uncooperative wood. He gave up on the fire and looked down at his cold tea. Then he picked up the cup, walked over to the tent, and held it over the smoking tent. It would be warm soon.

Zuko sat stewing in his own self-pity. His mind continually went back to that fateful day; replaying it over and over and over in his head. Zuko finally got tired of this, and started wondering what he could do to fix all of this. His life was already too messed up to change, but what about death?

Finally, something he could control.

A/N: I got Lo Tien and Geng Se's names off of the Internet. I'm not trying to offend anyone by using fake names (if they're fake), but those were the only names I could find. You wouldn't believe how much trouble it was to find any names that sounded realistic.

**And they say using the Internet is easy…**

**Please keep checking in on me. If you bug me, I'll update. :)**


	5. Ambiguity

**Chapter 5;**

**Ambiguity**

**A/N: Another word you may not know; you'll be brilliant by the time my story's through! Ok, ambiguity means uncertainty or doubt. Maybe I should work with Webster…**

Katara rubbed her eyes and looked around. For a moment, she had no idea where she was. The second Lo Tien popped his head in the tent, though, she remembered.

"Are you awake?" his welcoming voice filled the tent.

"Yah, I'm up. Thanks so much for letting me stay with you guys, but I think I should really be going. My brother will be worrying; you understand," Katara didn't want to return to her paranoid brother, but she knew that deep down…well, she knew she needed to get back.

"Alright, but at least stay for breakfast first! You can't go roaming around these woods on an empty stomach!" his inviting tone almost convinced her, but she still insisted that she had to leave.

"Really, I do appreciate your effort, but I need to go. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime," Katara exclaimed as she left the campsite.

"Wait!" she turned around, "At least let me come with you. It can be dangerous out here, especially when the creek is flooded. I don't want you getting hurt," Lo Tien was determined.

In the background, Geng Se made a gagging noise, and then grabbed Lo Tien. "Let her go for goodness' sake! You'll scare her away if you keep acting like this!" he whispered good-naturedly.

"Goodbye!" Katara waved then walked off. She was glad to be on her own again. Never had she enjoyed constant company, though she liked having Aang and Toph around. Even Sokka wasn't so bad sometimes…

As she walked on, Katara heard someone laughing – loud. She recognized that laugh; "Sokka?"

Someone burst through the thick plants and hugged her. "We thought you'd been killed! Aang and I were about to go looking for you!" Sokka stepped back.

"You didn't sound all that solemn if you ask me," Katara's eyes sparkled.

"I'm not asking you! Now come on, I'm starved!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wow, Toph! That must've taken a lot of courage," Katara commented as Toph finished her story. They'd all been explaining what had happened in the last couple of days, and Aang was the only one who remained silent.

"Aang, is something wrong? You usually love telling stories!" Katara's voice was laden with concern, though she tried to hide it.

"I'm fine Katara. I'm just glad we're all safe…and…what's that noise?" Aang interrupted himself.

"What noise?" Sokka was leaning back against a tree stump, playing with his boomerang. "I didn't hear a thing!"

"Yah, Aang. What did you hear?" now worry not only consumed her voice, but she actually looked upset, too.

"I don't know, or I wouldn't have asked," Aang's sunny disposition was tainted with suspicion. "I'm going to go look around."

"No! Aang, don't! That's what got us split up in the first place! Toph and I went to check out a noise, remember?" Katara begged.

"Yah, and we didn't even find anything," disappointment hung heavily in Toph's voice.

"I…I mean, that's right. We didn't find anything," Katara was suddenly avoiding everyone's eyes. It was then that Sokka began watching his younger sister – he had to know what she was hiding.

"Alright, I'm taking Sokka with me then. Does that make you feel better?" Aang suggested.

"Yes, it does. Be careful; if anything seems the least bit dangerous, come right back. Ok?" Aang was comforted by Katara's motherly behavior. It was usually annoying, but right then he was scared too, so it helped to know she was looking out for him.

"Alright! Let's go," and with that Sokka grabbed Aang's arm and hauled him off in the direction of the noise.

Before they even got to the edge of the forest, something stopped them mid-track. "Wait; I think someone's out here," Sokka's hoarse whisper could be heard everywhere around them. Suddenly, with a flash of pink, both of them were on the ground, unable to move. "What's going on?" Sokka shouted weakly.

"I don't know!" returned Aang.

Katara jumped up and grabbed her water skin. Gracefully guiding the water, she formed a water-whip and struck the figure that had knocked down the boys. "Ty Lee?" she gasped.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mentally recounting the ways he could kill himself, Zuko sat motionless behind a boulder. There were so many options; he had already been confused, but this wasn't helping.

"Prince Zuko! I'm making some tea, and I was wondering if you'd like any," although Iroh knew how much his nephew hated tea, he still asked every time. "Prince Zuko?"

Only moments before, Zuko had left the campsite yet again. He didn't really want to talk to his uncle right then, so he'd set off toward some nearby cliffs. They seemed quiet, and that's all he had wanted at the time – peace and quiet.

Iroh hadn't noticed the prince leaving, and he'd assumed Zuko was still there. Now he was getting nervous. "Prince Zuko?" his voice trailed through the empty woods as he walked around the tiny clearing. After a few minutes of this, he left the camp, leaving the tea to heat. The fire was low, and everything was wet, so Iroh wasn't at all concerned about leaving an unattended fire.

"ZUKO!!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. He picked up the pace a little as he inspected every inch of the forest for a sign of his beloved nephew. He continued this for an hour or so, getting more frightened every minute. He didn't want to lose another child.

**A/N: I'm thinking of starting a new fanfic. I've already got parts of it written (the beginning at least) and I wanted your opinions. It's about Azula getting married off to some psychotic prince...whether you hate Azula or think she's cool, it should be good.**

**I'd love to hear what you think; contact me or write a review.**

**Thanks for your time (it takes a lot to listen to my random babbling) and I'd love to hear from you!**


	6. Separation

**Chapter 6;**

**Separation**

**A/N: I'm trying to get caught up with my fanfics. I actually have been working on them - VERY, VERY slowly. Since most of you probably don't care that I haven't updated in a while, I'm going to shut up now. Anyone who does care, don't hate me! I've been procrastinating a little. :-)**

**This chapter won't have much of Zuko, because I decided to give him the next chapter. He's gonna need it – trust me.**

The sun sat high in the blue sky, scorching the unprotected earth. Katara looked up from her washing every now and then, but it was always the same. She wasn't sure what she was expecting. Sokka ran up to her. "Katara, Aang got caught in a tree."

Katara wrinkled her brow, "How did that happen?"

"He was playing with my boomerang – not like I wanted him to – and he threw it in a tree."

"So how'd he get up there?"

"He went to get it."

Katara sighed and stood up. As she approached the small, crooked tree, Aang smiled down at her. "Hi Katara!"

"Aang, how'd you get stuck in such a little tree? There are barely any branches on the thing! How can you even call it a tree if it doesn't have any branches?"

Aang smiled again, then replied sheepishly, "There _were_ branches…"

Eyes slowly shifting to the ground, Katara looked at the branches scattered around the base of the tree. Finally, she started walking away.

"Katara! He's stuck! Aren't you going to help him get out?" Sokka shouted, then made a face at Aang.

"Sokka, it's your boomerang. I'm trying to do the laundry so you guys have something to wear. You help him get out."

As soon as Katara was out of earshot, Sokka laughed and walked away, looking for some dry kindling.

"Sokka? Katara? Guys! I'm still suck here," Aang started shouting. He kept shouting until the sun had nearly set, then stopped. His large ears were burned bright red, and he'd been hanging up there all day. He was tired and hungry, and Katara and Sokka wouldn't help him. Toph was relaxing; Katara didn't want her hurting her leg any more than it was, and Toph didn't really mind the extra attention. So Aang sat back and tried to get comfortable. He had a feeling he'd be there for a while.

Finally, long after the sun had gone down and the stars had come out, Katara came out into the clearing to make dinner. "Katara, please! Why won't you help me?" Aang pleaded.

"I'll help you, but first I have to cook. Sokka's cranky when he's hungry," Katara replied. Aang was confused. It was really unlike Katara to not help him, or to focus more on Sokka than him. A beaver-squirrel sat comfortably next to Aang. "Will you help me?" he asked in a quiet voice. The little animal crawled up onto Aang's head and pulled the boomerang out of the tree. "Thanks! Now, just bring it to…wait! Where are you going?" The beaver-squirrel darted through tree branches until it and the boomerang were nowhere to be seen. Aang was in trouble now.

"Aang, what are you shouting for? And what are you shouting at?" Katara was puzzled. Aang wasn't the kind of kid who talked to himself.

"I was talking to this beaver-squirrel. It was going to help me, but then it saw Sokka's boomerang."

"That makes no sense."

"Let me finish! It pulled the boomerang out of the tree and ran away," Aang paused, "The end."

Stifling a giggle, Katara responded. "Why'd you let it take Sokka's boomerang?"

"I didn't let it!" Aang cried in despair, "It just did! I didn't know that it would take the thing!"

"Well, have fun explaining to Sokka that a chipmunk stole his boomerang," Katara laughed.

"It wasn't a…"

"I've got the wood!" Sokka marched into the camp. "You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find dry wood after a flood." He looked up at Aang. "You're still up there?"

Aang grinned nervously. "Yeah, I decided to wait until you could help me get down. You know, so your boomerang would be safe."

Laughter filled the campsite as Katara briskly stepped away. "What's so funny?" Sokka asked suspiciously as he climbed up into the tree with Aang.

"Nothing…nothing," Katara kept laughing.

"Then shut up. You're going to bring attention to us," grabbing a piece of the tree, Sokka hoisted himself up next to Aang. "Where's my boomerang? It was right here earlier."

Aang grimaced and shrugged. "I guess it fell down while I was sleeping."

"When were you sleeping?"

"I don't know. I was asleep – how could I keep track of time if I was asleep?"

"Forget it." Sokka pulled Aang up and they both fell out of the tree. Jumping up almost immediately, Aang ran to Katara. "Hide me," he whispered.

"Aang, my boomerang's not down here. Are you sure you didn't do anything with it?" Sokka looked annoyed.

"I'm sure. Why don't you keep looking? Katara and I will help you in a minute," Aang shouted cheerfully, then ducked behind a log. "What should I do?"

"Tell him the truth before your squirrel friend gets too far," Katara suggested as she walked away.

"What squirrel?" Sokka questioned. Aang was terrified. Instead of explaining, he ran. Tearing through tree branches, jumping over small bushes and roots, he practically burned a path right through the woods.

_Keep running, you're almost safe_, he told himself over and over. There was nowhere to go except forward, since the creek was on his right and the base of one of the many mountains in the area was to his left. Suddenly, it occurred to him to head for the hills – literally. He raced up the mountainside as far as he could go, and then turned right. There was no reason for him to turn, but it made him feel clever, so every few feet he'd change direction.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Still sitting in the dirt back at camp, Sokka was confused. He couldn't imagine why Aang would be running from him. As Katara walked back over to start the fire for dinner, Sokka stopped her. "What did Aang do to my boomerang?" he demanded.

"Nothing, that's the problem; he let a beaver-squirrel take it."

"HE JUST LET AN ANIMAL TAKE MY BOOMERANG?!" Sokka screamed.

"Ow, Sokka. That's my ear you're shouting in."

"Sorry," then, in a quieter voice, he repeated, "He let an animal take my boomerang? Just like that – watched the thing walk away with my prized possession? And you didn't stop him?" Sokka was getting loud again.

"No, I didn't know until he told me afterwards. Why don't you go find him – he's probably pretty shaken up."

"Why don't you? If you're so concerned, why don't you try wandering through the woods alone at night?"

"Are you scared?" Katara asked in a mocking tone. Sokka wasn't in the mood for sarcasm right then.

"No, I just don't want to go out there unprotected. My boomerang _was_ my protection."

"And yet you'll send _me_ out alone without any protection?"

"Well, normally no, but in this case I'll make an exception. Go!"

"You know, if I go now, you won't get fed."

"Wait, make my food first, _then_ go."

Katara glared at her ignorant brother. Aang was sure to come back long before she could finish cooking. She wanted him back where she could be sure he was safe, but as long as he was out by himself, she couldn't be sure what was happening. It occurred to her that that's what it must have been like to be Sokka's parent – constantly worrying that he'd kill himself with his boomerang or get his boat tipped in the freezing water while he was fishing. For the first time she could remember, she felt sincerely sorry for her parents. Or at least for her dad – her mom hadn't had to deal with Sokka much.

"Katara – hellooo; you still with us?" Toph blurted out.

"What? Oh, yah. Just daydreaming I guess."

"But it's night! How could you daydream at night?" Sokka turned to face Katara.

"Never mind, Sokka."

As soon as Toph and Sokka had their dinner, Katara set out to find Aang. Once again, she was venturing out into the woods alone at night. It had never turned out too well before, and yet here she was, doing it again. _The things I do for them_, she thought to herself.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rocks tumbled down around him. Aang had no idea where he was, and he was starting to get concerned. Back in the woods, he could've easily gone back because he'd left such a clear path of destruction. Here on the rocky cliffs though, there was no way to mark where he'd been or know where he was going. It would be impossible to just go back in a straight line to the base of the mountain and follow his little trail; he'd turned too often. Now, he wasn't afraid of Sokka anymore – he was afraid of just about everything around him.

Glinting in the dirt beside him were millions of smooth, cool stones. He reached down to pick one up, but when he looked down at what he was holding, it wasn't a rock. He nearly jumped for joy at the sight of Sokka's boomerang – he had no idea how it could've gotten up there, but the point was he had it. Sokka would be so…

Sokka. Katara. Toph. Appa. Momo. They were all back at camp. He didn't know where camp was – there was no way to know. Even if Aang waited until morning so that he could see, he'd still traveled too far to be able to make his way back to camp. He was also too high up the side of the mountain; it had gotten pretty steep and he wouldn't be able to climb back down. Of course, he did still have his bending, and he could probably find a way to get down, but even if he got off the mountain, he'd still have to find the trail. And the camp.

Things were looking hopeless. Although Aang knew he was over-thinking the problem, he couldn't get himself to stop. It was so easy to try to come up with random complex plans and find out he couldn't follow through with them. If he failed a simple plan, he'd be too discouraged to keep trying. Finally, he decided to wait. Instead of looking for a way down, he would find a way to get shelter on the mountain. Eventually, the gang would come looking for him, and since they had Appa, they could check along the mountainside.

It was time to explore – he already knew the whole area, or at least what he could see, was covered in rocks. Small rocks buried under dust. Large rocks jutting from the dirt. Medium rocks sitting on top of the large rocks, occasionally toppling over when Aang crawled up onto them and smashing the little rocks. No matter what he did, he'd end up dealing with all of the rocks.

It was a delicate situation. He could easily earthbend the large rocks away, and that would just leave the smaller stones. However, if he got rid of the boulders supporting the rest of the crumbling mountainside, everything would come to pieces and he'd be trapped beneath hundreds of pounds of earth. Then the gang would never find him. Once again, things were looking hopeless.


	7. Authors Note Please Read

**A/N:**

**Hey everyone (assuming anyone actually reads this) I know it's been forever since any sort of update, and I'm sorry. You're probably not, but I am.**

**Anyway, I gave up on this story a long time ago when I couldn't seem to get past the last chapter. Actually, I gave up on all of my fanfics as trash and resolved that I would never be able to write good fanfics.**

**However, in this last year or so, I've practiced a lot on my writing and I think I can finally write this story well again - if I start over, that is.**

**I'd like to rewrite it and post it under my new pen name: Lost Whispers. That's where I've been posting recently and if anyone actually wants to read this, then that's what I'm going to do.**

**If anyone has any objections to me rewriting this story and reposting it somewhere new, please let me know in a review or message or something. If no one cares, though, we'll try this again.**

**I still have faith in this story even if no one else does and for the first time in forever I feel up to the challenge of redoing it. So, yeah...**

**This time, if I can't rewrite it well and actually finish it, I won't post it at all. I've figured out by now that unless I actually write my stories in their entirety, they never get finished. So there'll be no need of the story ending right before the climax...not this time, anyway.**

**Thanks to anyone who actually took the time to read this, and I really need to know if you guys want me to try again or not. Because seriously, I will not post a story no one's going to read. Let me know what you think and I'll do whatever seems best.**

**God bless,**

**Lost**


End file.
